Holy Cross in a day

[MtHurd]

Halo Ridge is an absolute must, a true classic. I prefer to do it first for sunrise reasons. The ups and downs will wear you down though if you are not in shape. It's exposed to the weather so you really need a pretty good weather day. It would be tough to get it all done before afternoon storms if the monsoon weather pattern is in full swing.

[Ramfan24]

Thoughts on departure time to get to the shelter to see the sunrise on MHC? The two of us are in good shape with a good pace.

[JeffR]

It's 2800' and 5 miles... maybe 2 hours? YMMV.

[ATOMEMT]

+1 on what jeffR said......at a good clip, 2 hours to the hut. The Halo is a blast.

[jfrenzen]

FWIW, took us just under 3. Granted we stopped to take several pictures at first light....and sunrise came while we were on the switchbacks.

The sunrise was amazing, and you would miss a large portion of it by taking North Ridge first, as your view will be blocked. I would also rather navigate the long ridge with fresher legs.

Obviously the last climb was not welcomed, but it wasn't overly tough.

[argothor]

Thanks for the responses. Which route do you think is more fun/scenic?

Halo Ridge is more scenic, and more fun. Longer too. I did the Halo Ridge route as an ascent and then returned via the standard route. Makes for a long day, but if the weather holds it is doable as a day hike. The advantage of the Halo Route is less people, and you get to see the Cross Couloir.

[Bullwinkle]

Just did Holy Cross on the 4th with my son on a gorgeous day, after driving in as flatlanders. Did the standard, Halfmoon Pass route (5,600 ft; 11.5 miles) in 7 hours moving time RT. Unless you really want to camp for personal reasons, day-tripping is significantly less total effort. Choose a good weather day, start very early, and bring contingency gear. Save some energy for the hike out.

Longs was, well, longer and a bit more challenging. I was TH to TH in 10 hours on that one.

[greenwok]

Great beta Bullwinkle - looking to do HC and Longs in the coming weeks - you made good time on both it would appear!

KG

Just did Holy Cross on the 4th with my son on a gorgeous day, after driving in as flatlanders. Did the standard, Halfmoon Pass route (5,600 ft; 11.5 miles) in 7 hours moving time RT. Unless you really want to camp for personal reasons, day-tripping is significantly less total effort. Choose a good weather day, start very early, and bring contingency gear. Save some energy for the hike out.

Longs was, well, longer and a bit more challenging. I was TH to TH in 10 hours on that one.

[TK]

Halo was one of the most incredible routes I ever did. Be prepared for a very long day with lots of scrambling, and start very early to avoid storms. I'd be on the trail by 3:00 at the latest. Most people descend the standard route rather than going around Halo twice in a day. One lap is enough.

[Ramfan24]

Thanks again for all of the input. It definitely was a super long day (12 hours) but a beautiful hike. I would say it was more difficult than Longs via the Keyhole. I was disappointed to see the cross wasn't holding any snow but I got some great pictures anyway.

[MtHurd]

Congrats!